Goodbye Mr. Schnitz

Keymaster's R U Schnitzel "Schnitz" went to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday evening.

I don't even know how to begin eulogizing Schnitz. He was special in many ways. Sweet and gentle, funny and quirky at times, he was also an amazing show dog. He walked into the ring at his first fun match and performed like a veteran. He knew what it was all about - him! I couldn't help but grin each time we went in the ring, his enthusiasm was so infectious. Judges often commented on his attitude and how much he obviously loved to show.

Schnitz and I became a show team and had many adventures together. He was among the first natural eared Danes to be shown successfully on the west coast. Although he was just a few wins away from being both an American and Canadian champion, his owners missed him terribly when he was gone and finally asked me to stop showing him. I could hardly ask them to love him less, so he was retired.

To know Schnitz was to love him. A complete gentleman from first to last, he was a dog who truly never met a stranger, human or otherwise. He liked to give hugs (when invited) and rest his head on your shoulder as you drove. Schnitz was friendly to a fault with other dogs and got himself in trouble a few times by trying to make friends with other intact male Danes.

When it was clear his time was near, I got a call. I drove through the driving rain for four hours, walked into his kitchen and kneeled down. He stood and calmly pressed his head into my shoulder for a long time then gently lifted his paw in greeting. The power went out as thunder rolled in the distance. He was tired and seemed to know why I was there. I brought his daughter Envy in to meet him and he immediately brightened, arching his neck and wagging his tail in greeting. Always a gentleman in the presence of a lady.

Schnitz ended his days the way he lived them, with grace and quiet dignity. He gently fell asleep on his bed at home with me by his side stroking his head whispering words of love in his ear. The exact cause of his decline is not known, we only knew his body suddenly began to fail him. Despite every effort short of surgery, in his last week he could only keep food or water down with great difficulty and caught aspiration pneumonia. His owners could not bear to watch his increasing discomfort and made the selfless choice to let him go.

Although I was sad to say goodbye to my dear friend, I feel extraordinarily blessed to have helped bring this gentle, loving soul into the world and be with him as he oh, so softly went on to the next. He lived a long, extremely healthy life and suffered hardly at all. He will forever have a very special place in my heart. He leaves a huge hole in the lives and hearts of his devoted owners, Tom and Judy Meehan.

Schnitz was just four months shy of his 10th birthday. He is survived by his littermates Anna, Elton, and Rosie as well as his puppies out of two litters.

He will be greatly missed.